Seeking the Pets
by Buckhunter The Race Horse
Summary: Not long after Delilah left to be with Chance, Bando split off from the gang to be on his own. Worried about a friend, Riley goes after him, only to discover the terrible truth and run into trouble of his own. Will Riley and the gang be able to survive further life in San Francisco, or will things make a turn for the worst?
1. Chapter 1: Dog Gone

"Bando, hey, come on. Maybe she'll come back." Riley told the hound walking away from him.

"I don't think so, Riley. Delilah's gone." Bando disagreed. "I'm going to go find her and bring her back."

"Look, there's a lot of bad things out there. You can't survive on your own."

"I won't be alone when I find Delilah. Goodbye, Riley."

The other dog lowered his head in defeat. "If you need any help, you're always welcome back with us, Bando. Good luck out there."

The hound gave him a long, sorrowful look before bounding away.

*X*

"Is he really gone, Riley?" Young Spike asked as the gang's leader emerged to the top floor of the abandoned warehouse.

"I'm afraid so, Spike." Riley sighed. "He's too stubborn. He won't survive more than two days out there alone."

"Why don't we go after him?" Sledge asked.

"Can't risk all of us." He replied. "There may be another red van again."

"What about just one o-o-or two of u-u-us?" Stokey stammered out as he scratched.

"One maybe." Riley thought hard. "Can't leave just two of us here."

"So, who's going to g-g-g-go?"

"Can I go?" Spike asked eagerly.

"No. I'll go. You two stay here until I get back."

"But, Riley-" Sledge protested.

"No buts, Sledge." Riley got to his feet and walked over to the stairs. "Stay here, okay? That's an order."

"What about Ashcan and P-Pete?" Stokey pointed out.

"Pete can't fight and I know I can beat _Trashcan_." The darker dog responded easily.

"What if Pete does fight and they double team you?" Spike asked.

"I can handle it. Just stay put." Riley began to go down the stairs. "I'll be back as soon as I find Bando."

Before the others could protest, Riley was bounding down the stairs. He had to find Bando, for the hound's own sake. Ashcan and Pete were still out there, unfriendly as ever. There could even be others that they don't know of hunting the poor dog down. His job was to protect the gang, and that was what he was going to do.

He climbed down staircase after staircase until he reached the bottom floor. Then he walked over to the opening of the warehouse, looking out carefully. Suddenly, there was a leash around his neck. He let out a loud bark and growled, trying to pull free.

"Riley!" Spike shouted down.

He heard the noise of paws scrambling down the stairs as he tried to pull free from the human holding his leash. He twisted and caught the rope in his mouth, starting to bite through it. Something hit him on top of the head in an attempt to make him let go. He didn't, but instead kept fighting to get free. He started losing the battle as the human on the other side began dragging him outside of the building. He spotted a blood red van not far away and growled menacingly. It was useless trying to bite through the rope. He stopped trying and instead jumped on the man with the leash, who shouted in surprise.

"Dumb dog!" Another voice came and he looked to see another human running at him with a metal stick of some sort.

The man whacked Riley in the side with it and he yelped in surprise. He tried to jump on him, only to be pulled back by the rope on his neck. He let out a strangled sound as his paws slammed back to the ground. The metal stick was slammed into his side again with such force that he was sent to the ground.

To Riley's luck, the gang ran out just then and surrounded the two humans, who backed up into each other. The leash was dropped and he scrambled away, trying to scratch it off of his neck. Then the other dogs attacked the humans, chasing them back to the van. They got in it and drove away.

"You okay, Riley?" Spike asked as he and the other two bounded up to him.

"Yeah, I think so." Riley responded just as he pulled out of the loop of the leash. "That's better."

"That's why you can't go alone, Riley." Sledge told him. "They almost caught you before you even left!"

"It'll be fine." He assured him. "I'll be back as soon as I talk to Bando."

"Okay, R-R-Riley." Stokey stammered. "G-g-good luck."

"See you guys soon." Riley told them, turning and bounding off, ignoring the few aches in his side from the metal pole.

 _I'll find him._


	2. Chapter 2: A Crazy Hunt

Riley strolled carefully through Bando's favorite areas of the city. The dog was nowhere to be found. The shadows were long in the afternoon sun as he finally decided to check the alleyways. Maybe the hound was keeping it safe. He searched the most common used ones, finding a few paw prints here and there. They didn't fit Bando's paw size though, so he kept going.

The sky began to grow dark and the first few stars shown in the twilight. The lone dark furred dog found himself travelling the path to the golden bridge he'd taken Shadow and Sassy to. It had been two weekends since he'd left them. He wondered if they'd made it home and what had happened to their friend, Chance. He's the reason Delilah left after all. And she's the reason Bando left.

The moon and stars were high above Riley's head when he reached the spot he'd left them at. He spotted some faint old prints of a dog's next to a pair of cats. The pets were long gone. Then something caught his eyes in the moonlight. He turned his head to see fresh tracks in the dirt. He walked over to them and looked closely. Bando. He'd been there. Maybe he was still nearby.

"Bando!" He barked.

There was no response and Riley knew that the hound had moved further down the path towards the bridge. He couldn't be too far ahead. Ducking his head, he began bounding after the paw prints, new determination dragging him along. He ducked through a hole in a fence at the construction sight, only to hear growling and barking not far ahead. His ears twitched and his head jerked up.

"Bando!" Riley barked again, racing in the direction of the fighting.

"Riley!" A strangled, pain filled yelp responded. "Help me!"

"I'm coming!" He scrambled around the nearest corner just as the last whimper of pain was cut off. "Bando? Bando!"

Riley let out a low growl as he bounded around the next corner, but froze at the sight. Ashcan and Pete stood over the bloody remains of Bando, who was as motionless as ever.

"Ah, look who we have here, Pete." Ashcan growled mockingly.

"Yeah, it's Riley." Pete snickered. "What're you doing here?"

"I was trying to find Bando before you just killed him." He snapped.

"You can't win this one. Your gang isn't around to help you." The boxer pointed out. "It's just us and you."

"So be it then." Riley bared his teeth and snarled.

He collided in midair with Ashcan and he slammed the other dog into the ground. He tried to bite the boxer's throat, only to be slapped away by a paw. Teeth dug into his shoulder and he yelped in surprise. He slashed a paw across the other dog's muzzle, hearing a whimper.

"Pete, help me out!" The boxer complained from under the darker dog.

Something slammed into Riley's side and he was on the ground, scrambling to get up. Before he could, both of the other dogs were on top of him, biting and clawing at him. He felt fur be ripped from his skin in several spots and blood soak it. He tried to snap his jaws shut on a paw, but another slashed across his muzzle, the claws digging into it. His head slammed into the ground and his vision swam.

By the time the two allied dogs got off of him, Riley could barely move. He struggled into a sitting position only to be thrown back to the ground by Ashcan. The two dogs snickered and laughed to each other.

"We beat Riley?" Pete bragged.

"Yes, we did." Ashcan responded triumphantly. "Grab him and let's go."

"Go where?" The idiotic dog asked.

"Just follow me." The boxer responded.

"Okay."

Teeth dug into Riley's scruff and he felt himself being dragged across the sand and up wooden stairs. Then he felt himself lying on a metal, curved surface. He saw an identical roof above him. They stretched on for a few yards on either side of him. He knew where he was. He was in a metal tube.

"Goodbye, Riley." Ashcan boasted.

"Yeah, goodbye, Riley." Pete echoed through a snicker.

Suddenly, he was rolling and he was being thrown around the tube. When it finally stopped, the dog couldn't even find the energy to lift his head. His eyes closed as he decided to rest up.


	3. Chapter 3: Rescued

When Riley awoke, it was not long after dawn. He heard pawsteps nearby mingled with voices. They were familiar, but he couldn't place them. All he could think of was if they were friendly or not. He didn't need any more attacks. He tried to get up, but slumped back down in pain. He let out a whimper. The pawsteps stop.

"Did you hear that?" An older male asked.

"Hear what?" A female asked.

"Sassy, there's another dog around here." The first animal replied.

Sassy and Shadow? What were they doing here?

"Hang on, what's that?" Delilah's voice came.

"A dead animal…I think." The cocky voice of Chance answered.

The pets and Delilah were here!

"No...wait." Delilah sounded slightly puzzled. "Is that...Bando?"

Riley tried to get up, his feet sliding out from under him. He collapsed, whimpering again.

"There's another dog around here." Shadow said thoughtfully. "And it's still alive."

"Check the pipes." Sassy cut in.

"There's blood in this one." Delilah gasped as she looked into his pipe. She took a cautious step in before realizing that she'd stepped on a tail. "Riley?"

He weakly lifted his head and looked at her. His voice was hoarse when he spoke. "Hey, Delilah."

"Did you say Riley's in there?" Chance asked curiously, poking his head over her shoulder. "Okay, well, he is in here."

"Move, Chance." Delilah told him, leaning over and biting the injured dog's scruff.

She dragged him out of the pipe and onto the softer sand. He tried to get up again, but he couldn't. He licked his blood stained lips and rested his head on the ground. He was ashamed of being seen this way; beat up and unable to move.

"What happened?" Sassy asked, from where he perched on an old crate.

"Ashcan and Pete." Riley managed to say. "Was looking for Bando and they found me."

"Didn't you bring the gang with you?" Delilah asked.

"Couldn't risk us getting caught, so I made them stay." He responded. "I only went looking for Bando because he went to find you."

"Is that him?" Chance asked, looking at the bloody mass of fur, meat, and bones on the ground.

Riley glanced in that direction and looked away before replying. "Yeah...they killed him before I got here."

"Are you alright, Riley?" Shadow finally asked.

"Hurts a lot." He admitted. "If I can make it back to the gang, I'll be fine."

"You can't even get up, Riley." Delilah reminded him. "You won't get close to making it back."

"You should come with us." Shadow added.

"To the humans?" Riley asked. "I don't know…"

Chance chipped in. "Our humans aren't that bad. They won't hurt you."

Even Delilah agreed. "These humans aren't, Riley. Really."

"They'll take care of you." Sassy promised.

"Fine…" He consented. "But only because Delilah agrees." He tried getting up again without success. He let out a growl of frustration. "This isn't going to work."

"We need another way…" Shadow murmured thoughtfully. "I have an idea! Chance, Delilah, go back and get one at least of them to come here."

"Okay." Chance agreed. "Back across the bridge we go."

"Do you remember the way?" Sassy asked.

"Of course I do!" He exclaimed. Then he sobered up. "No. I actually don't."

"I do." Delilah responded. "Come on, Chance."

"See you, guys." The American Bulldog said in farewell.

Then the two dogs were gone, heading back to where the humans were. Riley hoped he could trust these humans that the pets and Delilah were talking about. Right now, they were the only way of saving his life.

His stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten since before he left to track down Bando. Same for drinking. His mouth was dry. That wasn't contributing to help him at all. He shifted into a more comfortable position, wincing.

"So, did it go well after I left you?" Riley asked. "I see you've found Chance."

"Yes, it went fairly well." Shadow responded as he sat down. "We ran into Ashcan and Pete, but Chance showed up just in time to help out. He lured them into a pipe and sent them rolling. Then he almost got hit by a truck. Our humans found us and took us home. Later, Delilah showed up and was allowed to stay."

"That's where they got that idea…" He grumbled.

"Who got what idea?" Sassy asked.

"Ashcan and Pete spun me in a pipe!" He growled.

"Any idea where they are now?" Shadow asked, glancing around warily.

"I don't know." Riley replied. "Passed out right after they threw me in the pipe. I don't think they're anywhere nearby though."

"I hope they're not." Sassy shuddered.

"They could be anywhere, Sassy." Shadow told her. "Keep a look out just in case."

Riley got his front paws to hold him up, though they were very shaky and clearly not ready for walking. He tried to get his back paws under him, but they collapsed under his weight. So he just sat there, head lowered in shame. It wasn't like him to get beat up like that. It wasn't like him to hurt too much to walk. It wasn't like him to rely on pets, much less humans.

The shadows were long when Chance and Delilah finally crashed into view from the bushes. Three humans came after them, one only a little boy. The other was a boy in his late teens and the third looked like their father.

"Oh my goodness…" Bob Seaver murmured as he saw the dark brown dog barely sitting up next to Shadow.

"Did they attack him?" Peter asked.

"I don't think so." He replied, shaking his head. "They'd be hurt too. I think they just found him and decided to help."

Young Jamie just threw his arms around Chance, who gave him a few licks before looking back to the dog on the ground. Delilah walked up to Riley, trying to help him up. His front legs buckled beneath him as soon as his back ones were underneath him. He growled in frustration.

"Should we help him?" Jamie, who was now looking at Riley, asked.

"We should." Peter thought. "If we don't, he'll die. Can we, Dad?"

"I don't think we have much of a choice." Bob agreed.

As they approached him, Riley looked up warily and forced a growl to cease in his throat. They were going to help him, not hurt him. He should know that by now. The youngest human put a hand on his head and stroked it, accidently touching a scratch. He ducked his head away, whimpering.

"Careful." Peter warned.

"He's hurt pretty badly." Bob concluded. "We should hurry."

"Will he be okay?" Jamie asked. "Can we keep him?"

"I don't know…" His father replied. "No, we can't keep him. You can name him though."

"I'm gonna call him Bruno 'cause he's brown." The boy decided. He turned to the dog and held out a hand.

"Not a bad name." Peter agreed.

"Well, let's grab Bruno and put him in the car." Bob reminded them.

Riley saw the boy's hand, but didn't move towards it. Sure, he was in the humans' care now, but he still wanted to avoid as much contact as possible. He tried to get up once again, but all four legs refused to hold him up. He rested his head on the ground, exhausted from trying. _Bruno? I prefer my current name, thanks!_

The adult human carefully lifted him off the ground and he tried not to flinch too much at all the pain that coursed through him. He tried to stifle a whimper, but he knew that the others heard it. He heard them following as the human carried him across the construction site and into the trees. They reached the side of the nearest road, where a car waited. He was put in the back with Shadow and Delilah. Chance was thrown up front and Sassy sat in the middle section. The car was started and began to move.

"It'll be alright, Riley." Delilah assured him.

"I hope you're right." He responded. "This is going to be a long night."


	4. Chapter 4: At the Vet

After awhile, the car finally pulled to a stop. The humans unloaded Delilah, Chance, and Sassy. The little boy got out as well. Then the two older humans got back in and began driving again. Riley was thankful for the company of Shadow. The older dog would comfort him if he needed it. The pain kept him from moving, so he just lay there, listening to the different sounds.

"How're you doing, Riley?" Shadow asked after a few minutes.

"Same as before, Shadow." He responded. Then he sighed. "The gang's probably looking for me. Haven't been back there in two days now. I just hope that they stay away from any threats."

"They will." The golden retriever assured him.

Riley shifted so that his paws were tucked underneath him. He forced his front ones to move, stretching them up so he could sit. He glanced out the car window, seeing the city flash by alongside them. One of his legs gave out and he slipped, hitting the car floor once again.

"And I told them that Pete couldn't fight…" He murmured, recalling the moment. "Guess I was wrong about that. If it weren't for him, I could've stopped Ashcan."

"It's always the unexpected that catches us off guard." Shadow told him thoughtfully.

"I guess, yeah." Riley responded, getting comfortable. "In the city, everything's hard to predict. That's why it's good to live in a group, like the gang. Who am I kidding...I should've let one of them come with me. It would've turned out better for me."

The older dog didn't reply, but glanced at him from across the back of the car. He rested his chin on the floor, too tired and exhausted from the pain to hold it up any longer. He closed his eyes, trying to relax as the time passed by.

When the car finally stopped, the moon was high in the night sky. Riley opened his eyes and lifted his head. Shadow was on his feet, looking out the back of the car. One of the humans opened it and the golden retriever jumped down to the ground. He didn't try to follow him, knowing it'd only result in more pain. The younger human picked him up and stepped back while the other closed the back of the car.

Shadow walked beside them as they went up to the building. The door was opened and they went in. Other dogs barked at them from where they waited with their humans. Riley watched them curiously, wondering why they cared so much for their owners. Chances were that they'd get dumped on the streets one day. Just like he was when he was a pup.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" The woman at the vet's desk asked.

"We found this dog at a construction site earlier today." Bob Seaver spoke up. "He's in really bad condition and needs immediate care."

"Name?" She asked.

"Bruno." The younger human responded, carefully shifting the dog in his arms.

Riley winced slightly, glancing up at him. The teen was looking at him as well. The dog narrowed his eyes and kept the human's gaze for a moment longer before looking away.

"Bruno?" The woman asked for confirmation.

"Yes."

"Alright. There should be someone coming up for him right now." She clicked a few times on her computer screen.

"Thank you." Peter said gratefully.

"You're welcome."

They moved out of the way of the next people in line. Then a middle aged man came down a hall.

"Bruno?" He called.

"That's us." Bob responded, walking towards him, followed by Peter and Shadow.

They followed the man down the hall and into a room. The human teen put Riley down on the floor before he sat down on a chair next to his father. Shadow laid down out of the way, watching.

The man closed the door and then walked over to a computer. "How long have you had him in your possession?"

"We just found him on the streets a few hours ago." Peter told him.

"Alright…" The man mused. "It looks like these are new wounds. He was in a dog fight, that's for sure. A very unfair one, by the looks of it."

Riley rested his head on the ground, eyeing the humans carefully.

"Should we leave him overnight?" Bob asked.

"Probably." The man agreed, nodding. "I have your phone number in the computer, so I'll call you when he's ready to be picked up. Hopefully he'll be feeling better by then."

"Alright." Bob replied, standing up. "Thank you."

Peter stood up as well, motioning to Shadow. "Come on, Shadow."

"I'll see you in the morning, Riley." The old dog told him as they exited the door.

"See ya, Shadow." Riley replied just before the man closed the door.

Then the human picked him up, surprising him. The back door to the room was opened and he was carried back to another room. He was laid on his side under some kind of machine. The man pressed a button and the machine let out a beep and a flash of light. He looked up at a screen in the room, which now showed a dog skeleton.

The human turned back to Riley and picked him up again. He was carried to a room full of kennels, where other dogs were. None of them were beat up like him. He was put in a kennel next to a gray Great Dane pup. He got comfortable, resting his head on the bottom of the cage. A bowl of water was put in beside a bowl of pet food.

Riley lapped up some of the water, refusing to eat that kind of food. He glanced out through the bars of the cage and sighed as he got into a good position to rest. He spotted the pup looking at him.

"What do you want?" He asked, unsure of how to react.

"What happened to you?" The pup asked curiously, sniffing at him. "You get in a fight with the neighbors' dog?"

"I'm not a pet like you." Riley snapped. "I got in a fight with another street dog."

"You're a street dog?" The pup wagged his tail. "That's so cool!"

"Not really, but better than being a pet." He retorted. "You look fine. Why're you here?"

"I'm here 'cause I'm not growing as fast as my sis." He told him. "I'm Buster. What's your name?"

Riley rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes. "Riley, but the humans call me Bruno."

"Which one do I call you?"

"Preferably the first one."

"Okay, Riley." Buster answered. "How old are you?"

"I don't keep track." He admitted, wishing the pup would leave him alone so he could sleep.

"Really?" He asked, shocked. "Every dog should know how old they are."

The pup went on and on, asking him questions. Riley ignored him, focusing on trying to sleep. His stomach rumbled loudly and the pup laughed. Self consciously, he forced himself to eat enough of the pet food so that he wasn't hungry anymore. He relaxed again, closing his eyes. Sleep came to him.


	5. Chapter 5: Not So Bad After All

Riley woke up when he felt a human take him out of the cage and begin carrying him out of the room. He opened his eyes and blinked away sleep. He rested his head on the human's arm, looking around as he was carried into another room. It was similar to the room he'd been in with Shadow and the two humans the previous day.

The man put him down on the floor and carefully began cleaning out his wounds with a wet towel. It stung a lot, but Riley did his best to ignore it. When the human finished, the dog laid his head down on the ground. He was picked up again and taken outside to a small pool of water. The human washed the dust and blood from his fur and dried him off. Then he was taken back to the room they'd left and he laid down. The human left for a little while before he returned. This time, Peter and Bob Seaver were with him as well as Shadow.

"Good morning, Riley." The golden retriever greeted.

"Morning, Shadow." He replied.

"You're looking much better."

"Yeah, well, I don't feel like it."

The humans sat down, facing the other one. They began talking to each other.

"So, Bruno is injured pretty badly." The man began. "The x-rays didn't reveal any broken bones, which is a good sign. I washed out his wounds this morning and some of them are pretty deep. The good thing is that none of them are infected."

"Is there any bad news?" Peter asked.

"Well, he is a little dehydrated from spending quite some time without water. He drank the whole bowl we gave him right away. He also has a fever, which we think is from something he ate before you found him sometime- obvious food poisoning. His gums are pale, probably from shock. And as you know, he isn't that heavy. We did some research last night and discovered that he has heartworms." The man shook his head. "He's in pretty bad shape, but if we work at it, I think we can get him back to full health."

"Okay." Bob said in a small voice, nodding.

"What do you think we should do with him?" The man asked. "Should we keep him here to treat him or do you want to take him."

The two humans exchanged glances.

"Please?" Peter pleaded.

"Alright. We'll take Bruno with us." Bob decided.

"So, here's a few medications to deal with his fever and heartworms." The doctor handed him a list. "They can easily be found at any store. Also, keep a fresh bowl of water out for him at all times. It'll help with his dehydration."

"Is that all?" Peter asked.

"Yep." The man nodded. "Just take care of him and he'll be fine."

"Thanks." Bob smiled gratefully.

"No problem." The doctor shook hands with him and then with Peter. "Have a good day."

"You too." Peter replied.

The teen picked Riley up and carried him out of the room, followed by Bob and Shadow. They exited the building, walking over to the car. Bob opened the back and Peter put him down inside. Shadow jumped up inside and sat down beside him. The humans closed the back and got into their seats. The car turned on and began to drive away. Riley shifted into a more comfortable position, resting his head on his paws. He yawned boredly, glancing over at Shadow. The old dog laid down facing him.

*X*

The car pulled to a stop a little while later. The engine wasn't turned off and the humans left their doors open as they opened the back to take them out. Shadow leapt to the ground, wagging his tail. Bob grabbed Riley and carried him inside the house. He spotted Chance and Delilah lying together through the back window. Sassy was laying on a chair, minding her own business in the living room. Riley was carried through the house and into the back. The two dogs looked up, Delilah looking happy to see him. The human put him down on the patio under some shade. Another human carried a bowl of water out and put it next to him. Shadow walked outside too just as the humans went back inside.

Delilah licked Riley's neck in greeting. "You're looking alright, Riley."

"It'd help if I wasn't hurting all over." He complained.

"You'll be fine soon enough." Shadow told him.

"And then what?" Chance asked. "You think they'll let him go back in the streets? They might take him to the pound!"

"I'll find a way back." Riley assured him. "One day soon, I will."

"You sound like Shadow saying that." Sassy joked sarcastically from the doorway.

She walked over and jumped on a table, looking down at them. He rolled his eyes and forced himself into a sitting position.

"You seem quite comfortable for a dog who doesn't trust humans." Chance pointed out.

Riley carefully picked his words. "Well, like you told me, not all humans are that bad."

"Hmmph. Well, you've caught on fast enough." Sassy meowed.

The human pup poked his head out of the doorway. "Chance! Lunch!"

"Did he say food?" Chance jerked his head in that direction, drooling. The boy shook a bowl filled with something. "Yep, he did say food. Well, see ya."

The dog took off towards the door, tail wagging. He scrambled inside, slipping on the tile of the kitchen floor. He regained his balance and darted out of sight. Delilah bounded after him, more carefully. Sassy ran after them, her fluffy tail behind her.

"I'll be right back, Riley." Shadow promised, following the other pets inside.

"I'm in no hurry." He said to himself after the dog was gone.

A few moments later, Shadow came back through the door, carrying a bowl full of food in his jaws. He placed it next to Riley and turned to go back inside.

"There you go, Riley." The older dog said.

"Thanks, Shadow." He responded, looking at the bowl.

"You're welcome." Shadow told him, bounding up the steps and into the house to get his own food.

Riley got his hind legs under him with effort and bent down to eat. Once he finished, he took a few, unsteady steps to the water and drank until he was no longer thirsty. He picked up the empty food bowl in his mouth and carefully walked up the steps and inside the house. He dropped it next to Chance's empty bowl and walked over to the living room, lying down. The humans were eating their own lunch at a round table in the dining room. By the smell of it, they were eating pizza. Chance raced past, stepping on Riley's tail.

"Ouch." He mumbled, moving his tail out of the way.

Delilah looked up as she finished eating her food, clearly unsurprised that Chance was running around. Shadow looked up mid-bite, obviously irritated. Sassy hissed at Chance s he went by her. She was annoyed at everything, so it was nothing new. Delilah went out the back door, following Chance. Sassy sat on the edge of the counter, looking around. Shadow finished eating and walked over, lying down beside Riley.

One of the humans, a girl, walked over and picked up Sassy, who purred in reply. The youngest human, Jamie, raced out the backdoor to play with Chance and Delilah. The teen and his father finished eating and went back out into the garage, where the car was still running. The sound of the engine faded, until it could be heard no longer.

The mother of the family cleaned up from the meal and came over into the living room. She looked at Riley, a sympathetic look on her face. She reached down and stroked him gently, careful of his injuries. Then she sat down nearby.

Riley took a moment to think. Maybe the pets were right. Maybe these humans weren't so bad after all. He closed his eyes to rest, his mind at peace for the time being.


	6. Chapter 6: Home

A couple of weeks had passed and Riley was healing really well. Walking was easy again and he was even getting used to the humans. It didn't mean that he completely trusted them yet though. Scars were the only remains of the battle with Ashcan and Pete now. Fur was beginning to regrow over them. Any day now and he was going to go back to the city. Good thing the humans didn't usually lock the back gate.

Riley laid in the grass of the late afternoon sun, thinking. He didn't want to leave the pets and Delilah. They'd become great friends to have and rely on. But he couldn't stay here either. The gang needed him. He wasn't a pet - he was a street dog; a stray. It was in his blood. He had to leave sooner rather than later. And that soon was now. He got to his paws, walking towards the open white fence gate that led back to the street. He was nearly there, when he heard a voice behind him.

"Where are you going?" It was Delilah.

"Delilah…" He sighed. "I can't stay here, okay? I'm nearly back to full health, so I'm going home."

"What if Ashcan and Pete find you again?" She insisted.

"It's inevitable. They'll always be around." Riley reminded her. "Besides, the gang needs me. I can't leave them hanging much longer. I've been missing for a few weeks. They need me, like Chance needs you and like they need the humans."

"But, Riley-"

"No buts, Delilah. I'm going home and that's all there is to it. Say goodbye to the pets for me."

Her tail drooped and her head lowered.

"Farewell, Delilah." Riley said, turning around and walking through the gate.

"Farewell, Riley…" Delilah replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "Good luck out there."

*X*

Riley scrambled off the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge. The shadows were long and the sky was pinkish-orange. The humans were zooming past in their cars, ignoring him. The birds were quieting down as they got settled for the night. He slipped into the bushes, sneaking towards the construction site.

He reached it a few minutes later and narrowed his eyes as he scanned the area for Pete and Ashcan. He spotted fresh tracks and realized he heard voices. He slid through the undergrowth carefully, staying low. He moved away from the voices of his enemies, accidently stepping on a stick.

"What was that?" Ashcan growled.

"What was what, boss?" Pete asked dumbly.

"I heard something."

"You heard what?"

"Ah, shut up." The boxer snapped.

Even more wary now, Riley made sure not to step on anything as he moved towards the other side of the construction site. He reached it with ease and began trotting towards the city.

*X*

The sun was shining brightly down on the city of San Francisco as he spotted the old warehouse building. He was weary from travelling without sleep and his stomach growled furiously. But, he was home.

He let out a triumphant bark, calling,"Yo, anybody home?!"

Spike's white head poked out of the hole on the first floor. "Riley? Hey guys, Riley's back!"

Riley straightened up as the gang rushed out, yapping at him all at once. He was home.


End file.
